The present invention relates to an umbrella with a frame that is inverted with respect to known umbrellas, and particularly to umbrellas for decorative or advertising purposes.

A known umbrella 10 is shown in Figs. Ia and Ib. Umbrellas typically have a frame 12, having a shaft 14 upon which a runner 16 moves. The runner is attached to stretchers 18, which are in turn attached to ribs 20 with a hinge piece known as a git 21 so that the end of the stretcher is attached part of the way along the respective rib. A cover 22 is attached over the ribs. To unfurl the umbrella from the collapsed position shown in Fig. Ia to the unfurled position shown in Fig. Ib the runner is slid up the shaft. This causes the stretchers to open the ribs thereby putting the cover under tension. The runner latches onto a ridge (not shown) or a spring-loaded pip on the shaft, or is otherwise held in place. A shield is created by the stretched cover 22, which may be made of waterproof material if the umbrella is intended for providing protection against the rain. Such umbrellas are also used as windbreaks, or to provide shelter from the sun, and may be hand-held or mounted in the ground or other suitable bases.

The cover can also be used for advertising or decorative purposes, particularly in cafes and so forth. Structures that are mainly decorative have also been developed. Such an umbrella is shown generally at 24 in schematic form in Figs. 2a and 2b. The umbrella is shown in its collapsed, or furled, state in Fig. 2a, and in its open, or unfurled, state in Fig. 2b. The construction is unusual in that the umbrella is upside-down, with the cover below the frame. The umbrella 24 has a frame 26, having a telescopic shaft 28. A runner 30 is fixed upon the shaft, and is attached to stretchers 32. The stretchers are attached to ribs 34. The ribs 34 meet at a notch 36 on the highest point of the umbrella, on the telescoping part 28a of the shaft. A cover 38 is attached to the shaft 28 of the umbrella, below the runner 30, to the gits 21 and to the ends of the ribs.

To unfurl the umbrella 24 shown in Fig. 2a a handle (not shown) is operated. The notch 36 is brought down via a cord so that the distance between the notch 36 and the runner 30 is reduced, the pole telescoping together. This unfurling action has the effect of forcing the ribs into a substantially horizontal configuration, when the umbrella is in normal use with the shaft 28 held vertically. The cover 38 is thus stretched out so that the underside of the umbrella is concealed by the cover. The cover may contain advertising material, or the structure may be illuminated from inside, by fitting a lamp within the framework. A construction of this type is shown in US 5441068 (SL GmbH) .

However, such an umbrella cannot be unfurled directly by hand, without using some mechanism such as a cord and handle, because the upper shaft part 28a is inaccessible; moreover, it is a relatively complex structure and wires, or "quills", are required to obtain or maintain the desired shape of the cover. Further, much of the available space inside the cover of the umbrella (i.e. above the "runner") is taken up with the umbrella shaft, ribs and stretchers. The cord and crank arrangement increases the complexity of the design.

A further design can be seen in US 6234186 (Yuan Jinn Fwu Co.) . This shows umbrella constructions of various shapes for ornamental purposes. There are two separate runners with sets of stretchers for making 3D shapes. This is a rather specialist application.

Embodiments of the present invention aim to overcome the difficulties with the prior art.

Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention provides an umbrella-like display structure or frame comprising: an elongate shaft on which a runner is slidably mounted; a set of ribs, each attached at its inner end to the runner; a set of stretchers, each attached at its inner end to the elongate shaft, the other ends of the stretchers each being attached to a respective rib part of the way along the length of the rib; wherein the outer end of each of the ribs, and possibly also the inner ends of the ribs and/or the runner, are arranged in use to be attachable to or otherwise to hold a cover, so that the cover moves as the runner moves; the ribs being adapted to hold the cover so that, in use with the shaft held vertically, the cover is stretched out over the underside of the ribs.

With the embodiments of the invention the runner is accessible in the usual way and the umbrella is easy to unfurl by hand. Moreover the simplified construction allows space for a lamp, for instance a solar-powered lamp. Also the cover's shape can follow the ribs in a more or less conventional way, except for being underneath.

For a better understanding of the present invention embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Fig. Ia and Ib show a known umbrella;

Fig. 2a and 2b show a known umbrella structure for use in advertising;

Fig. 3a and 3b show an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 shows the umbrella structure of Fig. 3b in perspective;

Fig. 5 shows the umbrella structure of Fig. 4 with a cover disposed on the frame;

Fig. β shows an alternative embodiment of the umbrella structure; and

Fig. 7 to 9 show further alternative embodiments. Turning to Figs. 3a and 3b, this shows generally at 40 an umbrella or display structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus includes a frame 42, having a shaft 44 upon which a runner 46 moves. The runner is attached to ribs 48, e.g. by tying or sewing, and stretchers 52 are pivotally attached to these ribs with a hinge piece or git 50 so that the end of the stretcher is attached part of the way along the respective rib 48. The inner ends of the stretchers 52 are pivotably attached to an apex point 51 at the top of the shaft 44. A cover 54 is fitted under the ribs, and is attached to the runner; hence its configuration is "inverted" with respect to standard umbrellas (such as those shown in Fig. Ia and Ib) - one could say (alternatively to the above wording) that the apex of the frame moves and the "runner" is fixed.

In an alternative embodiment the cover is not attached to the runner but is simply fitted to the ribs, the bottom of the cover being gathered to an appropriate size by a ring of elastic, for example, which keeps the central hole small.

To unfurl the umbrella from the collapsed position shown in Fig. 3a to the unfurled position shown in Fig. 3b the runner is slid up the shaft, for instance by hand. This causes the ribs to open, and in turn to open the stretchers, the ribs thereby creating a "V" shape on the shaft of the display structure, and putting the cover under tension. The runner may be held in position by engaging with a latch on the shaft, or a spring disposed in the shaft, or by any similar method.

The cover is attached to the ribs so that the cover moves as the runner moves (since it is pulled by the ribs) . Alternatively the cover could be attached directly to the runner, or to a ring like a conventional notch ring, for example, which may be fitted to or engaged with the runner, or may be attached to the runner by any other method. It must of course have a central hole to accommodate the shaft. The cover is disposed on the outside of the umbrella structure (i.e. on the opposite side of the ribs from the side from which the stretchers extend, so that the cover is underneath the ribs in normal use, when the umbrella shaft is vertical and the ribs form an upright "V" shape) .

The cover could present advertising material, such as company logos, or slogans for using the structure as an advertising umbrella or apparatus, either static or moveable. Alternatively, or in addition, a light source could be placed in the "V" of the structure, at the top of the shaft, say, to create a lantern or to enhance the decorative effect of the structure. An advantage of the static, non-telescopic pole is that it is easy to feed electric power up the shaft and use an electric light. Alternatively, or in addition, the structure could accommodate a solar power unit at its head or top, after the manner of a garden lamp. The cover could also be made of a transparent, translucent or opaque plain or patterned fabric, and may be waterproof, or non-waterproof. Such umbrella structures may also offer some protection from the weather, such as rain, wind and/or sun. The ribs and/or stretchers can be made of any material having suitable physical properties; it could be of metal, such as aluminium or steel (perhaps of U-section) or of wood or cane, or a polymer, possibly reinforced by glass fibre.

Fig. 4 shows the umbrella structure of Fig. 3b in perspective. In this example four sets of stretchers 52 and ribs 48 are shown. However, more than or fewer than this number can be provided, to create different shapes of advertising or decorative umbrella. The base of the "V- shaped structure and/or the cover could accommodate drainage channels inside or outside the shaft to allow water to drain away. Fig. 5 shows the umbrella structure of Fig. 4 with a cover 54. Although not shown, the bottom 45 of the shaft 44 has a base or mounting for holding the umbrella so that it can stand upright. This can be of a conventional type, e.g. a conical end or spike for plating in soft ground, or a massive base with a recess in which the mounting end 45 can be placed.

Fig. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention, in which the ends of the ribs 48 are bent round towards the axis of the shaft so that the structure forms a "wine glass" shape. This is achieved by using a cover that is too tight to allow the ends to splay.out fully, and/or by incorporating a cord that draws the ends inwards somewhat.

Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which the ribs are curved into a "dish" shape. It will be apparent that other shapes can be made using the inventive idea. For instance, as the cord is drawn in, the "umbrella" can be made nearly or completely spherical. In the case of a spherical shape a further notch-type tie 56 could be provided at the topmost portion of the cover, as shown in Fig. 8. The outer ends of the ribs are attached to or are near this notch 56 to bring about a more rounded spherical shape. The notch is free-standing, though it could be mounted on an extension of the shaft. In fact, if the ends of the ribs are secured in this way, it is possible to dispense with stretchers altogether, as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 9. Here the "outer" ends of the ribs (i.e. the ends remote from the runner) are attached to a notch 56, which can be similar to a conventional wire- tied umbrella notch, normally used, of course, for the inner ends of the ribs; the ribs 48 are bowed outwards, forming a globe shape, simply by pushing the runner 46 up into its latched position as shown. To make it easier to start the bowing-out process a stand-off ring 57 is attached to the shaft just below the notch 56.